Provost denBoer to step down June 30, 2019

Marten denBoer became DePaul's provost in 2015. Effective July 1, 2019, he will serve as special assistant to the president for strategic initiatives with a focus on health sciences and engineering. (DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)

DePaul Provost Marten denBoer today announced he will be stepping down on June 30, 2019.

"Marten's experience as an academic leader, his recruitment of effective deans and senior administrators and his development of innovative degree programs have been invaluable," says A. Gabriel Esteban, Ph.D., president of DePaul University. "He has created a legacy that will serve DePaul well as we address the goals that will keep us grounded in mission."

DenBoer, a physicist by training, became DePaul’s chief academic officer July 1, 2015.

During his tenure as provost, denBoer:

fostered faculty research and entrepreneurship through a competitive grant process, the Academic Growth & Innovation Fund, to generate revenue and enhance curriculum;

reorganized Academic Affairs to improve focus, create efficiencies, and reduce the number of staff while adding positions for planning and for diversity;

strengthened the relationship between administration and faculty through a policy of transparency, communication, and frequent formal and informal interactions;

in consultation with Faculty Council, worked to build an environment in which adjunct faculty are valued, respected, and supported, and created a standing body - the Workplace Environment Committee - for ongoing progress;

developed a vision for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies, based on task force recommendations;

established procedures to evaluate and streamline centers and institutes;

to expand the university’s presence in health care education, expanded the Alliance for Science and Health and initiated development of new programs in Occupational Therapy and Speech Language Pathology;

systematized faculty and staff position requests to allocate resources efficiently and fairly;

in cooperation with Enrollment Management & Marketing and Student Affairs, engaged Academic Affairs in developing the Peer Support Network to dramatically increase the success of first-year students across the university.​

​“Serving as provost of DePaul University has been the high point of my academic career. The outstanding engagement and commitment of the DePaul faculty and staff to the university’s Vincentian mission make this such a rewarding place to lead academic affairs,” denBoer says. “It has been an honor to have worked with two presidents, multiple deans, faculty and staff – all truly dedicated to students and student success – to further build this institution. I deeply regret that my health requires that I step down as provost.

“The good work at DePaul will continue. Our deans nurture and develop the intellectual life of their colleges. Our faculty and staff educate, transform, and empower our students to change the world,” he continued. “Across DePaul, this good and necessary work takes place each day. Our students and our community are all the better for it.”

DenBoer joined DePaul having served for seven years as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Prior to Cal Poly, denBoer served as associate provost at Queens College of the City University of New York. Previously, he was a professor and chair of the physics department at Hunter College of the City University of New York. DenBoer was also an assistant professor of physics at the Polytechnic Institute of New York and a research associate at the National Research Council of Canada.

DenBoer earned his doctorate and master’s degrees in physics from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“Marten’s commitment to DePaul’s mission and values has been evident in his priorities as provost, and we thank him for his many contributions,” says Jim Ryan, chair of the board of trustees.

Effective July 1, denBoer will report to the president and work with the interim provost, serving as special assistant to the president for strategic initiatives with a focus on health sciences and engineering.